Love is in the Air! So get outside and have some fun with these simple Valentine twists on favorite games:
Cupid Tag
Take a post-it note and cut it into a large heart. The child who is “it” takes the heart and has to pass it along by tagging another child and having the note stick.
Seek and Find Cupid’s Arrows
Make a few of Cupid’s Arrows by taking a straw or Pixie Stick and taping a heart cut out of construction paper to one end and a wedge cut out of construction paper to the other. Then simply hide the arrows and have the kids go on a seek and find. You can add the “hot and cold” twist if you would like to make the game a little more interesting.
Pin the Arrow on Cupid
Much like pin-the-tai-on the donkey, a cupid coloring page can act as your starting point. Tape him to a wall at the right height, and place an X at either cupids quiver or his arms. Blindfold the kids and one quick spin sends them off to see who can help Cupid complete his Valentine’s Day Mission.
Hugs and Kisses
A LOVE-ly twist on Duck, Duck, Goose: have the children sit in a circle, and one remaining standing. The standing child taps the head or shoulder of the seated children saying hugs, hugs, hugs, and when he picks the one to chase, he taps and shouts Kiss! Once he’s caught, the one chosen is now standing.
Paper Dance
Valentine can be made special and fun-filled by dancing with a partner on a piece of paper. Play the game of Paper Dance and make it a most interesting Valentine’s Day celebration. The dancing pair has to dance on a paper and every 2 minutes the paper is folded half and the couple has to dance on that piece of paper only. If one of the partners or both slip or dance outside the paper then the couple is out of the competition. The couple that dances till the end of the game on that small paper wins the game.
Valentine Charades
Write some Loveing phrases, book titles, song titles and famous love stories (movies).
Place the slips of paper into an empty heart box.
Divide the players into teams and have them play facing each other.
Each player will draw a slip of paper from the heart box and in turn act out their song, book, title etc. for their respective team.
Throwing a Smile
In this game, players are forbidden to smile, but trust us–giggling and laughing will abound. Players sit in a circle, making sure they can see everyone else. One player starts the game by smiling widely, while all the other players are somber.
This player then uses his hand to wipe the smile off his face and throw it to another player who has to catch the smile with his hand and put it on. This new player then wipes off the smile to throw to someone else–though he will probably choose to mug wildly at everyone for a few minutes before relinquishing his happy role.
Meanwhile, all other players must sit stone-faced. One smirk and they’re out.
Gigglebelly
Just the name of this game cracks kids up; playing it only intensifies their joy.
Have one player lie down on his back. The next player lies down with his head resting on the first player’s belly and the next player lies down with her head on the second player’s belly. Arrange all the players until everyone is zigzagged around the lawn or floor, each with his or her head on someone else’s belly (if possible, make the line into a loop so that the last player can put her head on the first player’s belly).
Then, the first player shouts, loud and clear, “Ha!” The second player responds with a vigorous, “Ha, ha!” then the third player chimes in, “Ha, ha, ha!” Continue until all players have shouted out their “Ha’s” or (more likely) have dissolved into uncontrollable laughter, with heads bouncing on the bellies of giggling friends, uncles, cousins or grandmothers.
Hugging Musical Chairs
Tape Xs and Os (for Hugs and Kisses) or Hearts onto the seat back of a group of chairs. Place the chairs in a ring with 1 less chair then you have players. Play your favorite love-themed songs, stopping at unpredictable places, while the children scramble to be safely “hugged” in a chair. Remove one chair after each round, the child not seated is “out” until you are down to the last player! Set the chairs back up and play again, if you let the winner control the starting and stopping of the music in the next round then the chances are better that you will have lots of different winners.
Last night I played a “prank” on my grandchildren that I hope they will spread to their friends and neighbors. I egged their houses!
GrandmaCents 